UMBILO residents were invited to have their say at a street meeting on Tuesday evening to discuss the mushrooming number of ‘illegal’ properties in Pinewood Gardens Road.
The matter was first brought to the attention of officials In April, when Berea Mail wrote about a property on Pinewood Gardens Road that had been inhabited by almost 30 people who were living in the house with no electricity, water or sanitation.
Since then, another two houses in the road are reportedly in similar situations.
Responding to concerns from residents, ward councillor Mmabatho Tembe called the meeting and invited City officials along to hear residents’ grievances.
Attending the meeting were Eric Parker from Land Use Management (LUM), Metro Police’s Deon Perumal and Col John Romer, station commander at Umbilo SAPS.
Tembe said she had also invited representatives from Parks and Environmental Health, however they did not attend.
Among the issues raised by residents were the number of people living in these houses, theft of water from neighbouring properties – as there was no running water or electricity in the homes under discussion – and the fact that as there was no sanitation forced the inhabitants at the homes to defecate into plastic packets which were being dumped in a walkway along the road.
Residents also claimed to have been threatened by the people living at these properties, and said prostitution and drugs were rife along the road and they had noticed an increase in crime, including hijackings.
“Thirty people moved into one of the properties and dumped furniture outside on the pavement. The municipality has come to clean it up, thankfully. I have lived in my home for 26 years and for the past two years my wife and I have been like prisoners in our own home. The municipality needs to get these people out of these houses,” said one resident.
Another resident said he had opened cases of water theft, intimidation and trespassing at Umbilo SAPS.
“I have dealt with city officials and come up against stone walls. They come out, I give them all the information and then nothing happens. I have dealt with Environmental Health, Water, LUM. The community is constantly hounded by these people, I have had people in my yard, stealing my water, vandalising my property.”
“There have been hijackings on a regular basis, house break-ins, I have been propositioned three times by women living in one of the houses and offered drugs. Creosote poles are burnt at the back of the properties on a daily basis, there is no water, electricity or sanitation in these houses, and there are small children, toddlers, living under these conditions. I wanted this meeting to find a way forward, we want answers, I need to understand why nothing has happened,” he said.
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Eric Parker from LUM said the area was zoned residential/maisonette and confirmed that overcrowding was not permitted in these houses.
“It is difficult for town planning to find out who these people are. We need evidence that there are as many people living on these properties and will then be able to serve the owner. We can put pressure on the owners by increasing their rates. If it gets to a point where outstanding rates are exorbitant, the municipality can take the property away from the owners. It is a long and tedious process to go to High Court, so we find increasing rates is the most effective method. We need to get on to it quickly,” he said.
Col Romer said he was very concerned by the reports of crime in the road and said he would act as a messenger of the court and could serve summonses and interdicts, and encouraged residents to provide affidavits.
“We need to investigate this urgently as the area will decay to the point that residents won’t be able to sell their properties. We have to stamp this out now, together with Metro, the councillor, the municipality and residents, and will act on information,” he said.
Deon Perumal mentioned Metro Police were also concerned about the crime and agreed action was needed urgently.
Councillor Tembe said the overriding issue was to sort the problem houses out.
“I urge people to report dumping in the road and walkway so DSW can prosecute. We need to form a steering committee and collate evidence on the properties so something can be done,” she said.
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